Islands Apart
by SportyScribe2
Summary: A sequel to A Question of Science
1. Homecoming

Richard huffed to himself for the umpteenth time as he tried to get himself comfortable again. Of course the Met did not spring for even the smallest of upgrades, so here he was, cramped up in his seat, and already missing Camille.

He's started to muse about his fastidious habits – lord had they really started when he first went to Cambridge? He suspected not, having been to a boarding school where he find solace in place and order.

Oh well thankfully there were no kicking children or drunken passengers to deal with, as he tried to drift off again.

* * *

The bedlam in Heathrow's immigration hall nearly sent his blood pressure off the charts, but as he struggled through the doors, thankful that his case had at least followed him to London, he didn't realise just how relieved he'd be to see his father waiting.

"Alright Son… good flight?" as he held out his hand.

"Yep – you know… cramped…" Richard tried to read his father's expression – was he happy to see him again so soon?

"Well I hope you aren't feeling too jetlagged – what started out as a "favourite snack" from your mother has turned into a full blown roast… chicken ok for you?"

"Oh god yes" Richard grinned in relief.

As they made their way into the house, it became aware that his father was almost… protecting him from his mother's attempts to quiz him on Camille. They chatted about the impending promotion, the duties – they shared a rolling of the eyes at the prospect of the amount of networking Richard would be expected to do with leading politicians and business contacts until finally Kate Poole sighed: "Oh for heaven's sake Michael enough… I need to talk to Richard about Camille."

Michael Poole shot his son a look: "Sorry Rich, I did try and hold it off for as long as possible!" he said grinning at him.

* * *

They retired to the front room and Richard braced himself for the barrage of questions – and he wasn't disappointed! He was stunned – his mother sounded like a speeded up record:

_When did he realise he was in love with her, because he was, wasn't he? In love with her? Oh and what were their plans? How ever did he get the commissioner's permission? Wait, you're not going to be in trouble with The Met, no of course not, otherwise you wouldn't be back so soon, when can we come over to meet her, can we skype her… we have skype now…_

When she finally paused for breath he burst out laughing.

"One thing at a time mum" smiling as his dad placed a small scotch in front of him.

"So… I asked her out on a couple of dates when I got back, but at the ball when the Commissioner told me about the new opportunity and asked me what it would take to stay, well let's just say the cunning old goat probably saw where the two of us were heading and decided to grease the wheels a bit."

They chatted a while about the house, Richard showing them some pictures as he tried to gear up the courage to ask his mother for a favour.

"Well, there is one thing I do need to ask – would it be ok, I mean, would you mind if I asked for Granny Cole's rings?"

Richard had been looking down coyly while he asked, and when he was aware of the lack of response he looked up to see his parents staring back at him wide eyed, and open mouthed in stunned silence


	2. In A Different Light

Richard couldn't understand it, or rather he really hoped that their stunned silence was nothing more unsavoury.

_Shown them pictures of Camille when I was last here – CHECK_

_Just been showing them pictures of the damn house we share including the bedroom… where did they think I slept, the shed? CHECK_

He shook himself and started to defend his request when he noticed that in fact his mother became misty eyed and his father wasn't sure if he should clap his son on the shoulder or pass his wife a tissue, so he grabbed the box of tissues, clouting Richard on the shoulder with it before waving it in the general direction of his wife.

"Sorry son, it's just to us old fashioned folk it seems a bit quick – a couple of dates and then you're living together? I mean there's no, ummm, you know… little Poole in the works is there?" said his father, reddening at having to be so impertinent as to ask if he was going to be a grandfather.

"God of course not. Well, I don't think so. Look. You saw the pictures of my team, I am going to be living in the Caribbean, so to be honest I don't care if you have a problem with her…" Richard started to retort, defensively.

"Wait, Richard hang on a minute. That isn't the issue at all – for heaven's sake boy" barked his father, shutting him up sharply.

There was another awkward silence as Richard tried to assimilate everything that was swirling in his head.

"Did you really think we'd disapprove?" his mother said, quietly

"I don't know – I guess I didn't really think about it as you seemed to be so full of questions. And I know it seems quick but you know we have known each other for two years. I'm still quite amazed she didn't throw me off the top of a volcano in that first year to be honest! Over this last year I think we both knew we wanted to be something more – but with me as her direct superior, I just couldn't break the rules like that.

"The commissioner had made vague hints of 'we're a lot more relaxed here' I guess like he was giving his permission for me to maybe ask her out – but then when he presented me the opportunity to stay with no rules and regs in the way, I decided why the hell shouldn't I be happy for once.

"I know it's not The Met, strictly speaking, and I know that this is home, and honestly it always will be. But when I was down here with the prisoner, all the time I just wanted to go back to see my team. To see her."

Richard stopped talking, surprised at just how much he had opened up to his parents. He looked up at them.

Michael Poole stared back at his son – they had that whole British reserved thing going on but there had been something different about him when he had come home briefly before. A sense of confidence in him that he hadn't seen since the lad went off to Cambridge.

"Look – all any parent wants, yes even me, is for their child to be happy. If you could have seen yourself when you came back, you were brimming with pride for the team and what the Commissioner had said about them and about how you guys have worked, you were talking up your officers to the heavens – you never were like that when you were in Croydon. You were like a different man."

"It's just a bit of a shock that you want to propose so soon dear," said Kate. "I mean of course you can have my mother's rings, but you may need to get them resized. But don't you want to spend some time living together? I mean you have been together in the, ummm, true sense of the word for only a little time – doesn't it make sense to wait and see how the job and everything settles down?"

"Well I'm not getting any younger" he tried to say jocularly. "Anyway, I know her ring size. I asked her mum for it. It's not like I am going to propose when I land in the airport while I wait for my more than likely lost luggage!"

Michael refilled his scotch and sat back down. "Knowing you and your propensity for planning you've probably picked somewhere out already?"

Richard nodded – explaining about the driftwood bench where he had offered her flowers for Aimee.

"Wait – you want to propose to her on a bench which will always remind her of her dead best friend" Michael said raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"It's not like that," Richard retorted although the look of amusement that passed between his parents did not escape him!

"It's also near where I first really told her how much I thought of her. I had to sit on the sand and everything," he finished, a little sheepishly.

Michael chuckled, as the tension that had brewed up lapsed between them all. "At least I proposed somewhere really romantic" he said with a touch of smugness. "On Hampstead Heath."

Richard bit his lip. "Yes ok well that probably was very romantic" he conceded until his mother snorted with laughter causing both Poole men to turn and face her.

"I wouldn't get too carried away with the competition between you and your father dear… he proposed over a bag of chips because he really wanted the tuppenny's worth of scraps at the bottom!"

Richard started to relax more, although couldn't fight the yawn as the jetlag started to catch up with him.

"I'll give you a hand with the bags - and maybe you can bribe me not to show Camille your old battered teddy when we speak to her," said his father.

Richard looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time. Michael gave him a playful punch on the arm as they took the bags upstairs and Richard realised that since Camille had come into his life, he was seeing a lot of things in life differently.


	3. Awkward Similarities

She checked her text for the hundredth time, contemplating flinging her phone across the bar, but instead giving her watching mother a brief smile, played with her beer bottle and then checked the text again.

Catherine sauntered over to join her daughter – it amused her to see her headstrong, fiercely independent Camille quite lovelorn and made her miss the days when her daughter was just discovering how attractive she was and dealing with the attention. In a way the split with Marlon had dented her confidence from a young age – if her own father hadn't wanted her, then why would anyone else.

"Nothing yet, chère?

"No," Camille replied, just as the phone buzzed into life. She snatched it up to read before her mother could glimpse the message (not that she would snoop, or that Richard would have suddenly started to send more risqué messages, of course!).

_Arrived, so did luggage! In the car with dad and heading home to a roast! Miss you though, chat a little later? R x_

She smiled and felt like a teenager.

"He's arrived, along with his suitcase and I guess his mother is making him a roast dinner," she said, aware that she was probably grinning like a fool.

"Well, so long as he says that my roasts are good too, I'll allow it," Catherine joked back. She had genuinely become fond of him, even more so now that she hoped real grandchildren were in the future somewhere!

But there was one thing that made her feel a bit wary – it was all very well putting faces to the names of the team, but would his parents be so readily accepting if they knew that one of the team may be a much more permanent partner. She thought back to her own parents and their reaction to her marriage to Marlon, and their cool attitude towards her beautiful daughter, simply because of her race.

Camille noticed the frown appearing on Catherine's face and raised her eyebrow, questioningly at her.

"So, what is Richard planning to tell his parents about you then?" she asked.

Camille bit her lip and contemplated this. "Well they obviously know now that we have moved in together, I guess. And of course I don't know what the future will bring us, but they will know he's coming back to live here for good and at the house – I mean…." Her voice trailed off. Would they be happy with that? From what Richard had said, his mother had been teasing him about finally putting a face to the name, and admitting that he had sent her lots of emails mentioning her – something she thought quite sweet.

* * *

The rest of the team were noisily making their way in to the bar – it was a rare evening where Fidel was bringing Juliet out, and Dwayne was already working the room to see who he could sprinkle the Dwayne love dust over.

Catherine bustled away to tend to the team and the rest of the bar and Camille started to relax a little. The new guy came out occasionally but his wife was back from some botany trip so she assumed he would want to stay at home.

So she was surprised to see him shuffling in on his own, opting to raise her eyebrows in an unasked question as he awkwardly dragged a chair up to the table that was becoming quite crowded.

"Sally arrived but she's a bit tired – wanted to get her stuff unpacked but the lack of space in the shack annoys her, so it's best to be out of her way while she has the run of the place.. I'm sure Richard is the same?" he said, by way of explanation.

Camille tried not to flush… sure Richard was quite fastidious, but that was usually after some pretty enthusiastic greetings when he'd been on Guadeloupe and away from her, and she could normally find a way to turn his mind to more fun pursuits.

But it was interesting – Sally was a lot like Richard had been. She hated the heat, had nothing but disdain for the rum-based drinks, she loathed the food. Camille was not really sure how she was going to cope at all in a place like this.

She sat back and watched the group, Fidel laughing at yet another rebuff by some streetwise lady at Dwayne's attempts to charm her, Juliet chattering excitedly, enjoying the break from Rosie, and Humphrey, just taking everything in around him, watching his team relax in each other's company. Every so often, though, he would let out a sigh.

"She must have unpacked already?" Humphrey was stirred from his thoughts to see his DS looking at him quizzically.

"Err well yes I suppose so?" he said.

"Maybe she'd like to join us?"

Humphrey considered this. The awkwardness that would ensue when his wife was anywhere near the proximity of Camille was nothing to his own awkwardness around her. She was so confident and vibrant. She was, in short, everything Sally was not.

"No – best to leave her be, although it might be worth getting in her good books for the traditional Sunday lunch here."

"Well ok," acquiesced Camille. She glanced down as her phone buzzed into life with another text from Richard. Humphrey regarded her as her features softened as she read the text, and then her eyes glowed as she quickly typed he reply back, settling back in her chair with a loving smile.

_Ahhh what wouldn't I give to see a smile like that any day of the week_ he thought, re-living the annoyed huff from Sally as she set about sweeping out the sand he had somehow managed to traipse in all over the place in her absence.

"I think tomorrow I'd really better get my head around some house hunting… otherwise I think Sally will bury me under the shack," he tried to joke as his own phone went off, with a curt missive from his wife that she was tired and didn't want to be waiting up all night for him to get home.

"I'd best go – Sally… well you know, she's pretty tired and wants to turn in I think…"

"You get off home and see to your wife chief"," said Dwayne, accompanying it with an exaggerated wink.

Humphrey started to explain that it really wasn't anything like that, but stopped himself. What would be the point. He grinned sheepishly as his foot caught a chair, toppling it over, and he sketched a wave to the team as he headed back.

As he started to walk down the road, he heard Camille's voice, laughing and chatty and he turned, only to see her walking back towards her place, chatting on the phone obviously to Richard. Not for the first time he wondered how Poole had wound up so lucky. Stifling his feeling of jealously he trudged towards the shack, wincing as Sally started on him for forgetting to leave his shoes at the door, and making a mental note to ask Poole how he managed to keep sand away from the sanctity of his home!


	4. Unwanted Guests

With a murder on the go so it was a tired and pre-occupied Camille who was chatting to Richard. Well, more murmuring, than talking, he thought as he chatted about the course, and tried to make light of the embarrassing Skype call where his parents had chatted to Camille for the first time.

Oh the call had been fine in itself, although he could see his mother was bursting to say something about the rings but she had managed to keep it together for long enough. No, the embarrassment was when they left Richard to chat to her, and half way through the conversation he sensed Camille's attention was to something going on behind him, turning to see his father standing off his shoulder waving the paw of a very battered teddy-bear at her!

But tonight she was fairly pre-occupied… so much so he began to wonder if the presence of the bear (and his sidestepping why his father kept muttering "bear woof woof" and bursting out laughing… long story) had put her off him completely.

It was getting late – he hadn't eaten but he'd wanted to catch her and with the time difference, he was getting past the point of actually wanting anything to eat, and she was distractedly nagging him to go and get something.

"Is anything wrong… I mean the whole… bear thing… it hasn't put you off me has it?" he said trying to laugh it off as he said it, but aware he probably sounded quite dejected. It was enough to make her shake herself out of her thoughts.

"No, no" she said, more sincerely, "we started on a murder case – there's a film company in town and one of the stand-ins was killed … she was just a young girl trying to make a new start – it's early days but it looks as though she wasn't the intended target…"

He felt a pang … he should be there, noodling through the case with her, other things…

"Oh wait one minute – door," she said as he shook himself out of his reverie.

"Oh… Humphrey? Come in…"

Humphrey shifted on his feet as it was clear Camille was chatting to Poole… "Look I'll pop back in a bit, or maybe meet you and the guys at the bar?"

"No no no, it's OK – Richard is just going… Go, eat something and text me when you are back and I'll skype you from the bar apartment?"

"Ermmm well ok, " Said Richard trying to keep things light, but he couldn't deny it, he felt a little narked that Humphrey was now calling on his home to discuss the case.

* * *

Humphrey hung about on the porch as Camille finished off with Richard. He felt bad about coming to see her but he needed to chat over a few of the things that had been bothering him about the case.

They chatted companionably on the way to her mother's bar. It worried him that Sally seemed so unsettled out here and he was at his wits end as to what to do to make it better. He wanted so badly for this to be a new beginning for them, but in truth it seemed to be making things worse. So, all he could do was throw himself into his work, which seemed to irk her all the more.

"So, is Richard enjoying himself," he queried.

"He is knee deep in science and books, I think he's in clover," Camille replied with a grin.

"How do you think he will settle when he gets back here for good – I mean, he's very… umm…"

"Set in his ways? Obstinately English," she finished. "I think he will always be a little like that… and that's what I love about him"

Humphrey regarded her – she hadn't been defensive, just matter of fact. _How is she so accepting of Richard and yet my own wife wants to change every aspect of me?_

"I think Sally likes the concept of being a botanist in paradise, but… sometimes the reality, the heat when she's back in a lab, the food, the drink… I don't know. Sorry, I shouldn't be burdening you with all of this.."

"It's ok – if you need to talk it's ok. I guess Richard suffered a lot by just holding things in a lot but he learned to relax… a little. Look I used to push him to come sightseeing, to embrace the island, he would protest … loudly," she paused giggling at his pirate tirade when she wanted him to spend the weekend sightseeing.. with her!

"He would put up a fight, but I guessed.. he might have his reasons for agreeing," she finished with a little smile. "I guess Sally will adjust too – she at least doesn't walk around in a suit!"

"Yeah," shrugged Humphrey. "I hope so. I love it here."

They walked into the bar, and he immediately fell more at ease. The guys were here and although he was just a little on the awkward side he felt more at home with the whole team. Watching the team's interactions and the ease of banter made him relax a little more. Maybe it would be good to just let his hair down and stop fretting the case details for once.

* * *

Richard disconnected the call, feeling marginally happier that Camille did not have Humphrey in tow. The guy was nice, a little disorganised but given he was a fair bit younger, Richard couldn't help feel a little self conscious about his middle-aged self.

He glared at training kit that Camille had made him pack, and was contemplating pulling them on when there was a knock at the door. Given the lateness of the hour and that he was hardly the kind of mature student that would be playing late night music, he opened the door and stopped dead.

His visitor stared back, neither willing to speak.

Eventually he found his voice with more than a little irritation: "Angela, what on earth do you think you're doing here?"


	5. The Plunge of the Dagger

Richard glared at her, aware that he was probably being unfair but dammit he was away from the woman he loved, in the alma mater where he first fell in love, staring at the women he would never love. All this love was giving him a bloody headache.

"Richard – Mum told me you were coming back and I am here with my law firm – I've booked rooms for us for some team building, and I just thought I…I…" Angela Birkett looked at the man she had held a torch for, for over 25 years, and tried to ignore the fact he looked even more irritated with her than he usually had all those years ago.

"Dammit it's late, and I don't have time for this."

"Well let's have breakfast and catch up – we could go for dinner…" she said hopefully.

"No," he barked vehemently… then realising how hurt she looked. _Oh well,_ he thought, _I may as well plunge the dagger the whole way in_…

"I have to call my girlfriend in the morning and then I have classes."

It did not escape his notice that there was a flicker of pain on her face.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yes – look it's late and…"

As if by some quirk of magic, the phone went off, and as Richard grabbed it, he saw it was Camille.

"Look this is her ringing. Good NIGHT Angela,"

He closed the door, a little unsure why Camille had chosen that moment to call, and while he was relieved she had, even he knew better than to let on to her about a late night visit from his old stalker.

"What's up?"

"Hey – sorry, I didn't wake you did I?" she asked, a little surprised at the curt opening line.

"No no… I was going to turn in, it's ok. Sorry what's the matter – it's not like you to ring me so late?"

"Everything's ok – it's just after I finished talking to you, the Commissioner appeared, and he wants Humphrey and I to head to Guadeloupe to interview some people connected with the film crew – we'll be back later and you know what the signal is like on the ferry."

Richard smiled to himself. They were descending into almost married-couple-dom!

"Of course I don't mind – just text me when you are back and we'll chat then – it's fine."

They signed off, with him promising that he'd eat well, otherwise Catherine was likely to send out food parcels. He didn't think it was worth pointing out that his own mother had all but reverted back to when he was 18 and was on the point of sending him the same!

.

Angela positioned herself in the refectory where she could watch to see whether Richard was bustling down the path. It reminded her of when she would do anything to catch a glimpse of him back in the day. She reflected back on her panicked call to her mother that morning.

"What do you MEAN he has a girlfriend? When I spoke to Kate he was on his way back for a few days before the course – she said nothing about it then. Just that he'd come home when he came back with some prisoner, and then headed back. Then he got told of a promotion possibility and this course being run at Cambridge and was coming home. She would have told me if there was any other news."

"Well, mummy, he was very adamant. Someone rang him late last night while I was there too… and it's not like he had the phone on him and texted someone to call him."

Her mother sighed – she wished her daughter had moved on from her university crush, especially as he never seemed remotely interested in her. She and Kate had been school friends and had always stayed in touch, through marriages, children and in a quirk of fate their two children had enrolled in the same college at Cambridge, but there all romantic notions had ceased. As far as she'd been able to make out, Richard had been besotted with someone else, and had become quite introverted when that woman had picked up with someone else.

Angelia's heart skipped as she saw Richard hurrying down the path, and stood to intercept him as he ran through the door.

"Richard PLEASE can we just talk – nothing else. It's been such a long time."

He couldn't help the grimace. God this was a nightmare, but he though at least he could get it all over and done with, so he could get back to the business of the course and counting down the days until he was back home. There – that was something he could at least lead on.

Armed with a cup of tea and a bacon roll, he reluctantly sat resolutely on the other side of the table.

"Angela – I appreciate you wanting to keep in touch, but I have hardly spoken to any of you for 25 years. Life has moved on. I have a great team and I am making Saint Marie my home."

"You HATE the heat – why would you accept that?" she asked

"Because the team are brilliant. They pull together, they do what it takes to get the results, and… there are other factors…" he finished.

"Oh yes… the 'girlfriend'? Funny – I spoke to mummy and she said that your mother never mentioned her once when she said you were coming back with news of the new promotion."

Angela sat back satisfied that her lawyerly confidence would render him incapable of lying…. But realised by the smug smirk on Richard's face that her worst fears were about to be confirmed.

"Mum and dad didn't know for sure until I came back. I went back, we got together, I got the offer of a new role and came back for the course. Or no – maybe I got that wrong… yes I got the job offer, then we…"

Angela put her hand up and Richard realised that this was probably one of the times he didn't really need to get the order right.

"Look. A lot's changed since we were at college, and I've really come to love being out in Saint Marie. And that's where I am going after the course. I have a new life, I am in a relationship with someone and… look I am really sorry Angela but I need to go to classes and then I really don't think it's appropriate for you to be wanting to meet up."

She looked so downhearted as she whispered, "But I thought maybe we could at least have some dinner, catch up – even just as friends?"

"Angela… I just don't think it's a good idea. I'm sorry, I really am. But I miss Camille and even if we're not speaking, I would rather be alone and thinking about her and studying than doing anything…" he just stopped himself in time from saying "with you."

She looked downcast, and he felt bad but time was ticking on and he had work to do. Damn all this did was remind him how much happier he was in Saint Marie.

"What are you smiling about" said Angela with a little pique.

"I'm sorry, all this does is remind me how much I am looking forward to going back home and starting a new life. And I will be going back to Saint Marie for ever. No coming back. Anyway Angela, I really have to go now."

Richard got up to leave, and though he could almost sense the beseeching stare, he resolutely marched out, not looking back.


	6. Crossed Lines

The day had been frustratingly unproductive for Humphrey and Camille in Guadeloupe and they were on the ferry home now. The film crew could not really add any more details other than what they'd turned up themselves so while Humphrey had gone off in search of a couple of drinks for them, Camille waited on the top in the fading sun.

"Here – I got us a couple of coffees," said Humphrey with more of the coffee dripping off his hands than in one of the cups, which he gallantly took for himself. It was awful instant rubbish, Camille thought, but she accepted it with a smile.

Humphrey looked down at the bag at her feet, and chuckled, causing Camille to look up, questioningly.

"Poor Richard - so now you are buying his clothes for him – gosh Sally would have a field day if she knew …" he trailed off aware that it sounded vaguely catty, but to his surprise Camille was smiling back at him.

"Oh this is all part of the big compromise. When he was my superior officer, he very much felt he had an image to project hence that hopeless suit. When the Commissioner offered him the promotion he negotiated his way out of my direct reporting line so that we could be together – which earned him brownie points enough. But the compromise was… if he insisted on continuing to wear his suits as a badge of office in the new role, then he was to go to the Commissioner's outfitters for more practical material so he has three tailor made light-weight suits. He ordered two, but I paid for another one for him as a surprise.

"But wait – I don't understand… what do you mean by 'Sally would have a filed day'?"

Humphrey suddenly felt stupid. His own wife was constantly trying to change him, and here Camille was doing the same and yet everything was OK?

"It's just that Sally is constantly trying to make "suggestions" as to what I should do, wear. I put up with it of course, anything for an easy life, but Richard never seemed like the kind of man who enjoyed that… maybe you've ahhh tamed him?" he said, trying to joke his way out of what must have sounded like really sour grapes.

"Oh he may moan about having been dragged around the island after his first year here to see Pirate Treasure and the volcano, but… believe me, if Richard doesn't want to do anything he wouldn't do it. That's what gave me a little hope if I am being honest. He might have complained constantly about it, but in some small measure he had wanted to spend that day traipsing around with me. I don't want to _change_ him, but I certainly enjoy shoving him out of his comfort zone"

"But won't it really annoy you when he complains about the suits?"

"He won't – The suits he was happy with. But if I were you I'd hang around for the fight we have about the short sleeve shirts and no tie" she replied with a wicked grin.

Humphrey shook his head. "You _want_ to have the row?"

Camille took a minute to take in where this conversation was going. This was not about her and Richard and the state of their relationship. For years now, the team and her mother had often stepped back to watch the verbal jousting of the pair of them knowing that all that simmered underneath was passion. Yet here was Humphrey, the polar opposite of Richard in almost every way, trying to draw parallels with his own life and wife.

"It's like a game," she continued. "At the heart of it all, I wanted him to want to be here and to appreciate it in the same way as we all did, and in time he did. But he will make damn sure everyone knows it is on _his_ terms. So I just push him for fun. And deep down he knows it. It's just what we do, how we are. We have always been like this so I guess…. from the outside it must look like I am trying to change him. I am not, but by the same token I am not going to change from being so "French" because I know it winds him up. But believe me, Humphrey, if that had ever really been a demotivating factor, we would have never got together."

Humphrey looked out to sea. Camille actually felt a little sorry for him. She could see a lot of the prickliness that Richard had when he first came here in Sally although with her job and being able to work in the outdoors a lot Sally was at least a little more practical than Richard had been.

"It's funny," began Humphrey, but in a tone of voice that indicated this was anything but amusing. "Sally wants me to be more like Richard. To, I don't know… look the part to move ahead. She's annoyed that I don't push myself more. I don't know that she'd ever tell me to go back to woollen suits, but if she saw that suit place in Guadeloupe she'd want to whisk me off there to spend a month's wages because she really doesn't like the linen stuff.

"I mean… I tried to get back to reading a lot more about stuff… you know like Richard knows lots about everything… but now all I get is 'Get your nose out of a book and put this nail back up'"

Camille shook her head. "I can never stop Richard being Richard. And I wouldn't want to. That's who I fell for. The day I thought he was my blind date we'd had a god awful shouting match on the way to the doctors about me being a mature Rioja and being the last doll on the shelf with the wonky eye." Humphrey raised his eyebrow, and decided to file that one for "let's chat about that over beers".

She continued, "But when I saw him sitting on the patio and thought he was my date for Erzulie night I was thrilled. Like all the irritations we had about each other had gone."

"Come on… there must have been good times for you and Sally – you're married after all?"

Humphrey thought back. "She was visiting friends from university and they were in a pub some colleagues and I dropped in to. I was chatting up her friend actually at the bar and she kind of barged up to us as we were taking ages to actually get the drinks, and over the course of the night I ended up talking to her. I must have made police work sound exciting. We started dating but as I advanced up the ranks I really loved the more puzzling cases and less of the more dramatic ones, although you'd think that homicide was dramatic enough wouldn't you."

He tried to keep the unhappiness out of his voice but he knew he was failing. Things had become stale between them and he knew it. He thought that taking this opportunity would be a great change for them, but all it seemed to do was make her even more unhappy. As though everything a more confident Richard was achieving made her less happy with him.

Camille could sense this was not a great time for her new boss. "Look, give her time. It took Richard two years to unwind – god you should have seen what he was like when he first got here. And don't try and live up to him. You are your own man Humphrey, and every bit as smart and as dedicated as Richard was when he was our chief. Good things will come to you, both of you. Just give it time."

The ferry was pulling in, and Humphrey could make out the figure of Sally waiting on the quayside. "See," said Camille. "She came to watch the ferry come in… that has to mean something, right?"

But Humphrey could see her face was like thunder and he knew that pose. One foot standing aggressively in front of the other and arms crossed.

As they disembarked, and he ambled over to her, she brandished a piece of paper at him and Camille, who had stopped to help a young mother with her pushchair and luggage just made out "You had ONE thing to sort out, just ONE thing I asked you to take care of Humphrey. When I got home I found THIS waiting on the mat – you need to get this sorted out first thing right NOW before they all go home."

Camille watched him trail after her as they headed back to the shack, before she wheeled him off in the direction of the station, closer for him to call whoever he had to call to fix whatever he had to fix.

She looked down as her phone buzzed as she finally reacquired a signal.

"Good day on the big island? Chat when you get back. Don't suppose you had time to see if those suits had been done? Rx"

She smiled, and pressed call, as she walked to her mother's bar.


	7. Just Fine

Camille walked out to the bar after catching up with Richard, collecting a beer from the bar en route as her eyes fell on a grumpy Sally, waiting in the bar for Humphrey.

"Hello," started Camille with a smile which faded as she was treated to a glare from Sally in return.

"Is… everything OK?"

Sally contemplated for a moment. While she would never ever consider that Camille's eyes would ever stray to Humphrey, there was no denying that he was increasingly flustered whenever he was around her, which she found annoying. Along with the shack, and everything about this move. And now here she was, all perfectly happy and in love – life was truly testing her patience right now.

"Oh just fine," she said, sarcastically. "He had one thing to sort out with the solicitor and he just didn't get round to it. He's having to sort it out now. Luckily my father-in-law who is a lawyer has a bit more of a sense of urgency and has stepped in. Anyway, assume all is well with Richard?"

She couldn't mistake that smile – she remembered when she had first met Humphrey and how he amused her, but ….

"He's fine – I think he's just looking forward to the end of the course, and coming home."

Sally shrugged, knocked back what was left of her drink and muttered something about seeing if Humphrey had managed to solve the issue. Catherine came out of the bar to see Sally stride off, leaving Camille where was, looking pensive.

"What is it ma chère?"

"I don't know maman, things have been so quick – you think we will fall out of love like that?"

Catherine regarded her. Marlon had always been a restless soul, even more so when Camille had been born. Maybe that had set the scene for Camille herself never really settled down. And now, she was having doubts?

"You think you have made a mistake?"

Camille was stunned. "What? No, of course not, but how can someone fall out of love like that?"

"Camille… who are you to judge them? You and Richard may well have that early passion, and I am sure that when he returns I will barely see you, but after all that, you both have a whole future to plan, non? And what, you think that if and when children arrive, it will be all plain sailing? Sleepless nights, hardly any intimacy between you and the man you love? You think everything will be easy?"

Camille sat back in astonishment. "I never really thought about it that way. Maybe I had such a perfect childhood," she started, but Catherine interrupted.

"Yes, because I sacrificed a lot to make your childhood as perfect as I could, but you don't think I would have preferred to have a stable family for you? You and Richard have many challenges ahead of you."

Catherine took a little pity on her now crestfallen daughter. "I am not saying that you and he will end up like me and your father. But there will be bumps in the road, darling." She looked sad. "All I wish for you… is the strength to work through your issues in a way Marlon and I never did."

She stroked her daughter's hair and kissed her on the forehead, whispering "I need those grandbabies…" smiling as she skipped off to tend to tables.

Camille smiled at her. Before setting off back up the road, to her place…no… _their_ place. He would be home soon, and things were going to be just fine.

* * *

Richard just finished putting the finishing touches to the next revision of his paper. He had loved every second of the course – real back to basics forensics paired with the latest science. But every time he hung up from a call with Camille, he missed her desperately.

He would spend a last week (for a while anyway) with his parents and would hope their ever burgeoning excitement at what they knew would not leak out. And as for the story of bear-woof-woof … god if Camille ever found out about that she'd either leave him, or delight in never making him forget it.

But he would be home within the month, to be with her forever, god willing…. And things were going to be just fine.

* * *

Angela put the phone down to her practice head. She double checked the dates, and the text from her mother who had lightly enquired of her old school chum when Richard was returning to Saint Marie.

She entered the last digits of her credit card and security code and booked the flight. It would arrive a little after his. She _had_ to give herself one last chance. Surely it was fate they had met once more (that and her mother tipping her off)… yes, yes things were going to be just fine.


End file.
